


summertime

by siliquastrum



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Zuko (Avatar), M/M, POV Alternating, Post-Canon, Swords, Travel, asking your best friend to run away with you is some form of gay milestone, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22021159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siliquastrum/pseuds/siliquastrum
Summary: “I’m not staying, Sokka.” Zuko says, looking down at his cup and swirling the last drops of alcohol around.“Oh,” Sokka sounds disappointed, and in an impulse decision, Zuko blurts out:“Come with me.”“Come with you where?”“I don’t know,” Zuko admits, “but I want to see the world when I’m not chasing you around.”---The war may have ended five years ago, but its reprecussions still carry. Both Sokka and Zuko have some trouble coming to terms with this, but maybe travelling the world with your best friend can help.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 99





	summertime

**Author's Note:**

> When I say post canon, I mean post _show_ canon. I have not read the comics. I cannot read, do not ask me about them.  
> Thanks to [Teddy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theo_ography) and [ Ash](https://archiveofourown.org/users/flashhwing/profile) for their valuable proofreading!

**26 &27.01**

This is the fourth near sleepless night of the week. Zuko had worn exhaustion as a jacket well since he was thirteen, but now it seems to cloud his senses more than he’d like. The dark rings under his eyes are visible enough to warrant concerned glances from Iroh, and whenever Aang comes to visit he seems increasingly reluctant to give Zuko work. But Zuko is fine. He insists on this. After all, he’s been through worse. A lot worse. 

He keeps insisting on it after he falls asleep mid diplomatic dinner. Nothing is wrong, how can it be? He's the Fire Lord, the world is at peace after a hundred years, the Earth Kingdom reparations are successful, and - according to Aang - the Water Tribes (both North and South) are prospering. Whatever iseating away at his mind isn't a problem. The fact he wakes up still cold and reaching out for something every morning is not a problem. A problem would be war breaking out again, or his sister escaping and letting the world have a piece of her mind. It seems to be a problem to the Avatar and his uncle, however. Which is why they’ve sat him down in his room this morning. 

“You need a break.” Aang says, not holding back.  
“I’m fine,” Zuko insists, though his posture said otherwise, “plus I can’t just leave, I have a country to run.”  
“Your advisors and I can handle that.” Iroh reassures, “you’ve earned some peace and quiet.”  
“I don’t _need_ peace and quiet, uncle,” Zuko feels sparks of his old anger rising, “I need to stay true to my responsibilities.”  
“Zuko, you’ve been in this fight longer than most of us. And the rest of us, we’ve had a chance to breathe.” Aang places a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder, “you deserve as much. Don’t you want to see the world you’ve helped build?”  
That catches Zuko off guard, even more so when he realises the answer is yes. 

That evening, Zuko finds himself filling a small rucksack with the basics he’d need. On a second thought, he goes back and grabbed his swords, before leaving. _Voluntarily_ , he realises, unlike how he’d left eight years ago. 

“Where are you going to go?” Aang had asked him, and Zuko knew the answer straight away: the South Pole. He has a partially burned down bridge to repair. 

Stepping off the airship in the South Pole feels more exhilarating than anything the last five years as Fire Lord has offered. The early morning sun reflects off the snow and ice, blinding him and covering the landscape in an otherworldly glow. For once, there is no-one there to greet him, no-one asking for favours, or needing a conversation with him. And for once, the tight feeling in Zuko’s chest - one he had become so accustomed to - is absent: he can breathe. 

Of course, the feeling comes back with a vengeance the moment he runs into Katara. He knew he’d run into a familiar face sooner or later, but he still finds himself unprepared. Plus, the full force of Katara’s glare is enough to make any sane person run for the hills. 

“I didn’t know we were expecting a diplomatic visit,” Katara’s voice teeters on icy, and Zuko mentally prays to any spirit out there he make it out of this conversation alive.  
“You weren’t. This, uh, this isn’t a diplomatic visit.”  
“Oh, then why is the Fire Lord here of all places?”  
“To see some old friends?” Zuko replies, feebly.  
“Sokka’s busy with Chief stuff,” Katara’s tone softens slightly, “but I’m sure he’ll be happy to talk.” 

As expected, the conversation with Katara makes his nerves worse, not better. So for the next few hours he walks around the village, more than once. With his red clothes, and scar, his identity is unmistakable, and his presence draws a lot of attention. No one tries to strike up a conversation, which Zuko's grateful for. In his mind, he rehearses what he was going to say over and over. ‘ _I’m sorry_ ’, ‘ _I should have come with you_ ’, ‘ _I should have listened_ ’ all dance at the tip of his tongue. Iroh’s voice in his mind reminds him to breathe, because apparently he needs that reminder. He must look like a madman, walking up and down the docks, muttering to himself. The open space feels almost restrictive, as his mind is filled with all kinds of unpleasant thoughts. ‘ _I should not have come here,_ ’ Zuko tells himself, panic and anxiety getting the better of him, ‘ _Why would he want to see me again, after ...after what happened last time?_ ’ He's so entranced that when he hears Sokka’s voice calling his name, he jumps from surprise. His usual luck means he falls into the water, and when he resurfaces, is met with Sokka’s full body laughter, warm and familiar. 

“Wow, Zuko, that’s one way to avoid an awkward conversation,” says Sokka, after his laughter subsides, though he's still occasionally gripped by giggles.  
“I- that was an accident,” Zuko’s face burns with embarrassment and the smallest amount of shame.  
“Get out of the water before you freeze,” Sokka offers an arm out, and Zuko takes it, avoiding eye contact.  
“I’m sorry -”  
“I know, man. You came all the way to the South Pole to apologise? I’m impressed,”  
“Maybe. It’s a bad idea to be on the Chief’s bad side after all.”  
“Not Chief yet,” Sokka shrugs the comment off, “Just learning from dad. So, why are you really here?”

**30.01**

The smell of grilled seafood reminds Zuko of home. In some ways, this is more home than the palace could ever be: there are people he deeply cares about here. The loud bickering of Katara and Paku, Sokka’s debate with Hakoda and Bato about the best way to grill squid, Aang chastising Momo for trying to steal the raw sea prunes (and the chirping in response): these are all things Zuko hadn’t realised he missed. It isn’t too long before he himself is drawn into the fray, with the excuse that firebenders should know about barbecuing better than anyone else (‘ _It’s true but they shouldn’t say it_ ’ Zuko thinks,) and handed a cup of Gran Gran’s moonshine (no-one tells him how strong it was). 

Sure, the world is a little fuzzy, and maybe he’s had too much to eat and is ready to fall asleep before the sun is even close to setting. And maybe Sokka's sitting next to him, also tipsy from the moonshine when he asks Zuko why he's here again. 

“I know you’ve been put on Fire Lord time-out by your uncle, but why did you decide you wanted to visit us? Wouldn’t the big palace be more relaxing, or whatever?” Sokka’s words have started to slur, consonants not as crisp as they should be. “What could be relaxing about a continent of ice?”  
“I’m not staying, Sokka.” Zuko says, looking down at his cup and swirling the last drops of alcohol around.  
“ _Oh,_ ” Sokka sounds disappointed, and in an impulse decision, Zuko blurts out:  
“Come with me.”  
“Come with you where?”  
“I don’t know,” Zuko admits, “but I want to see the world when I’m not chasing you around.”  
“Shouldn’t you be asking Aang for a globetrotting adventure? Since he’s the fun and games guy.”  
“He’s also the Avatar, I can’t take him away from his duties. Plus,” Zuko turns to Sokka with a coy smile, “I kind of want to see the world with you.” 

**31.01 ******

********

“Zuko, this does not qualify as supplies,” Katara chastises, dumping all the contents of his rucksack onto the table: two spare sets of clothes, a medicine pouch, a bedroll, a bag of rice, and a spice pouch.  
“What’s wrong with it?” he replies, “It’s what I had when Uncle and I travelled around the Earth Kingdom.”  
“Weren’t you refugees?” Sokka points out. 

For some reason, Zuko feels the absurd need to argue with him:  
“What’s your point, Sokka?”  
“You were starving? I distinctly remember you telling me as much.” 

“Sokka, your packing isn’t much better.” Katara points out.  
“What? My packing is perfect, thank you very much.”  
“Sure, because ten bags of seal jerky is exactly what a reasonable person packs.”  
“It’s better than one bag of rice.” 

As the two continue to bicker, Zuko laughs, a flicker of warmth dancing in his chest that was absent a week ago and melting away some of his anxieties. He’d missed his friends more than he had realised. The idea that they wouldn’t want him around sounds ridiculous in retrospect. 

“The rice isn’t a meal on its own,” Zuko cuts in, re-packing his bag, “it’s supposed to go with whatever meat or fish we catch. _Unlike_ seal jerky.”  
“Wow, I cannot believe the two of you are ganging up on me,” Sokka says, incredulously, “I should have expected it though. You guys are jerks,” he punctuates his sentence with a goofy grin, and is met with a sigh from Katara and an eye-roll from Zuko.  
“I will completely understand if you snap and kill him within a month." 

The sun is still in the sky despite the late hour of the day. Zuko could never adjust to the poles during the summer, and his usual insomnia fueled crankiness tended to increase. Still, the light breeze on the boat to the Earth Kingdom is pleasant, and as they pull away from the icy harbour, Zuko’s heart flutters slightly, as if homesick. Next to him, Sokka looks the part. 

“Hey, you’ll come back. It’s not like last time.” Zuko points out.  
“Yeah,” the taller boy admits, “I’ll just miss them.”  
“I know, me too.” 

**03.02**

Sparring with one dao feels unnatural. Without the other half of the pair, Zuko doesn’t know how to move right. Each swing is unbalanced, each parry threatening to push him in the wrong direction. It doesn’t help that Sokka is using the blade as a Jian, instead of slashing like the broadsword is meant for. He is forced to move more defensively than he would like to, frustration building up as Sokka swipes at him, again and again. Zuko can tell that Sokka was still learning the weight of the blade, his motions more awkward than usual. The other giveaway is Sokka’s frown. 

Zuko doesn’t have any good excuse as to why he’d memorised Sokka’s expressions when he was sixteen. There had been days where Sokka’s goofy grin was all but emblazoned on his mind, as their world came to an end at his father’s hand. And here Zuko is, at twenty-one, faced with an expression he’d only seen a few times before. It wasn’t rare to catch Sokka’s thinking face, but this particular one has more venom to it than normal.

Despite that irritation, Sokka still manages to corner Zuko, whose back is pressed up against the taffrail. In one clever strike, he sends the dao clattering away, and pins Zuko’s arm to the ground. 

“You’re out of practice,” Sokka says, as smugness crept into his voice.  
“You got lucky,” Zuko shoots back, pulling himself up with Sokka’s help.  
“Sure, Sparky.” Sokka’s hand lingers a moment longer against Zuko’s arm, “It’s almost as if you have a country to run, and I went back to Piandao.”  
“You did? When?”  
Sokka’s gaze drifts out to sea, avoiding Zuko entirely, “After I came to visit you, when I-” he cuts himself short, “Since you turned me away, I went to Piandao, figured swords would make me feel better.” 

Even though the two are standing next to each other, an invisible wall separates Zuko from Sokka. His half-hearted apology in the harbour made a small dent in it, as had the invitation on the trip, but the wall still stands firm and Zuko wants to break it down, reach for his best friend as he once could before he ruined everything. But Sokka gets there before he does. 

“You were right, you know,” he says, and Zuko stands there as if struck by lightning (he has first hand experience with that), “Plus, now I can kick your ass.” Sokka adds, flashing Zuko an all familiar grin which pulled him out of his trance.  
“Don’t get cocky, Water Tribe.” 

**05.02**

They would have reached port yesterday, if it wasn’t for the blizzard. Sokka calls it ‘ _late summer snows_ ’, Zuko calls it ‘ _a nightmare_ ’. In the few hours of darkness the sun offers this time of year, Zuko can hear Sokka’s teeth chattering from across the cabin. The ship’s captain has cut down on heating to save for much needed fuel, with two unaccounted days at sea. 

“Aren’t you used to this?” Zuko wonders aloud.  
“I’m not c-c-cold.” Sokka’s argument is strongly defeated by his inability to enunciate.  
“Sure, you aren’t,”  
“‘M fine.”  
“Uh-huh,” Zuko muses, standing up and moving over to the other bunk, “Budge up.”  
“What?”  
“I said budge up.” 

The mattress creakes under the new weight as Zuko finds his way under the blankets, surprised by his own bravery. Within seconds, Sokka wraps himself around the firebender, all pretense of not being cold thrown to the wind. They both shift a bit until they find comfort: Sokka’s arms around Zuko, as the smaller of the two resting his head on Sokka’s chest. 

“Hm, you’re warm.” Sokka murmurs, significantly sleepier than before.  
“Perks of being a firebender,” Zuko points out, his heart racing at the contact even though he initiated it.  
“Knew jerkbending had to be useful for something.”  
“That’s it, I’m leaving,” Zuko teases, greeted with a whiny ‘Noo’ in response. 

It doesn’t take Sokka long to fall asleep, and slowly but surely Zuko finds himself being carried away to the world of dreams with Sokka’s steady heartbeat as the soundtrack, and an idea forming in his mind.


End file.
